Place Making

Category Background

To ensure that the most sustainable sites are used for development and that the design process, layout structure and form provide a development that is appropriate to the local context and supports a sustainable community.

“The South East has a high quality environment with a rich heritage of historic buildings, landscapes and habitats. This is reflected in the coverage of protective designations and contributes to the region’s identity and the quality of life residents and visitors enjoy. Development to meet social and economic needs must be undertaken in a way so as to protect and, wherever possible, enhance these valuable assets and contribute to the sustainable development of the region in the long term. ” Draft South East Plan Part 1: Core Regional Policies – July 2005 Section D1 para 1.27

“All too often in recent decades, our urban and suburban areas have been blighted by poor quality design which pays little or no attention to local character or context. In many areas this will mean that new development will need to respect the historic character of the existing buildings, while in other towns redevelopment will provide an opportunity to improve upon existing urban design.” Draft South East Plan Part 1: Core Regional Policies – July 2005 Section D7 paras 2.6-2.7

When considering locations for a new development it is resource efficient to use brownfield, contaminated or undeveloped land in an urban location, and also generally desirable to avoid building on land of value for other purposes – such as landscape, biodiversity, high grade agricultural or sports facilities. However designers of new developments need to go further than just finding an appropriate location for a building.

Placemaking is the art of transforming locations and buildings into places where people live, rather than just work or sleep. It is the art of making places, rather than just putting up buildings. It ensures that parks, pavements and neighbourhoods provide lively and attractive locations for people to interact, rather than empty spaces to hurry through to get somewhere else – or worse, to be avoided. Well designed buildings which reflect the character of the area in which the development is situated provide the backdrops, helping people to navigate around without too much effort, providing a sense of identity and making people want to spend time in the location.

“Local authorities, service providers, the local community and developers should pay particular attention to:

  • the contribution which high quality public realm, private gardens, open spaces, streets, squares and green corridors can make to urban areas
  • ways to further promote the management of traffic to achieve a better urban environment, including measures which improve road safety, give priority to pedestrians, cyclists, buses and essential business users and opportunities to improve transport integration
  • incorporating crime prevention considerations into the design of new development
  • encouragement of environmentally sustainable design and construction techniques.”
Draft South East Plan Part 1: Core Regional Policies – July 2005 Section para D7 2.13

The buildings in well designed places reduce opportunities for crime. Good development design avoids expanses of blank walls and hidden locations which are not overlooked and feel unsafe. The buildings are fit for the purpose for which they are intended, and efficient in terms of resources and running costs.

“The public health White Paper, ‘Choosing Health’ (2004)... linking health to wider factors such as education, employment, housing, social networks, air and water quality, access to affordable nutritious food, and access to social and public services in addition to health care. This wider agenda explains many of the profound differences in health between affluent and deprived communities in the South East. Real opportunities exist both to re-invigorate neighbourhoods and communities and to plan and develop new communities which are sustainable and health promoting. ” Draft South East Plan Part 1: Core Regional Policies – July 2005 Section D9 para 6.4

As more people use the neighbourhood, this has added benefits such as discouraging crime and making people feel safer, reducing isolation for people who are not able to travel, and increasing the cohesiveness of a community. It encourages people to move about on foot, and to use green spaces, providing mental and physical health benefits.

“If the housing objectives and overall strategy in this Plan are to be met, then it is essential that housing allocations in Local Development Documents and planning permissions translate into high quality homes. This will require more than good architecture. It will require that the region builds communities and neighbourhoods and makes places that are well-designed, have a clear social structure and economic purpose, and are supported by integrated modes of transport. Well-designed homes and neighbourhoods can also do much to overcome negative attitudes towards new development and successfully accommodate higher densities.” Draft South East Plan Part 1: Core Regional Policies – July 2005 Section D3 para 1.3.3

Good placemaking is a vital part of both regeneration and new developments in urban and rural environments, creating places where businesses wish to locate, and where people wish to live, work and relax.

“A range of housing will need to be provided to meet the needs of all sectors of the community. Two key trends are towards increasing numbers of elderly people in the population and smaller households. The 2001 Census shows that one-person households now account for 28% of all households – the second largest household group in the South East.” Draft South East Plan Part 1: Core Regional Policies – July 2005 Section D3 para 1.7.1

“25% of housing provided needs to be social rented accommodation, and the second that an additional 10% of housing should be provided as shared-ownership, low-cost home ownership and sub-market rent.” Draft South East Plan Part 1: Core Regional Policies – July 2005 Section D3 para 1.6.2

In addition to good design, housing built needs to be appropriate to local needs, and this requires taking account of size and flexibility of dwellings as well as tenure type. The availability of affordable homes for the lower paid, first time buyers and key workers continues to be a concern.

With these policy issues in mind, this section of the checklist addresses:
  • Effective and efficient use of land,
  • Approaches to design, context, landscape and connectivity.
  • Re-use of suitable buildings
  • Focus on the pedestrian, safety and navigability
  • Local character
  • Access to green space and play space
  • Affordable housing
  • Lighting strategy